85 - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

**Chapter 85: I Demand You Use Every Means to Please Me** As dusk settled, a solemn expression crossed Lin En's face as he stared at the yellowed parchment on his desk. After leaving Ivyst's side, he had returned directly to his room to retrieve it. Despite the witch giving him this parchment when he last left the Pantheon, he realized she hadn't explained its exact use. Writing directly on it should suffice, right? With this thought, Lin En picked up a pen, pondered for a moment, and began writing: "Esteemed Miss Witch, regarding the two trials you previously arranged, I have completed one. Not only did I successfully dismantle the faith of the Church of Providence in Ornn City, but I also killed a bishop and burned the entire church to the ground. "Of course, I'm saying this not because I feel I've done something remarkable, nor to seek praise or rewards from you—it's merely what I should do as a believer. Please, don't concern yourself with it. "I mainly wish to ask if the inertia of fate I caused has successfully influenced the future. Has the scar on your arm vanished as a result? "I hope you can enlighten me on this." Lin En paused, observing the parchment's lack of reaction, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart. Was a formal letter format necessary? With a tentative approach, he added a line at the beginning: "To the Decadent Witch Ivyst of a Hundred Thousand Years Hence." This time, the parchment finally reacted. The ink seemed to undergo some unimaginable transformation, vanishing from the paper with incredible speed. Within mere seconds, the parchment returned to its original state. Was this a successful communication? Curiosity piqued Lin En's interest as he began an extended period of waiting. One minute passed. Then two. Five minutes later. It wasn't until ten minutes had elapsed that Lin En, with a darkened expression, realized he was likely being ignored by that woman. The absurdity of it all was undeniable. The current Ivyst would go to any lengths to keep him close. Yet, the future Decadent Witch seemed devoid of desires, her indifferent, world-weary gaze etched firmly in Lin En's memory. He gritted his teeth, silently mocking himself. Read and ignored, was it? Playing the icy divine maiden, was she? With these thoughts, Lin En continued writing: "Regarding the ritual circle for praying to you, recent research has revealed several optimizable nodes. However, the previous holy relics seem to be losing efficacy, causing me no small amount of distress. "Fortunately, this recent endeavor turned out quite well. So, besides rewarding me with a sealed item, you promised to fulfill one of my desires. "Out of devotion to you, I wish to see you once more and plan to use this wish to acquire a new holy relic. "Additionally, based on my conjecture, the more personal the holy relic, imbued with your life essence, the more effective the prayers will be, thus extending the period of preservation. "So this time, I intend to request a..." "Boom--!!!" The next second, an overwhelming force pulled Lin En's consciousness from his body. Thought you could outwit me? Gazing at the familiar Pantheon before him, Lin En chuckled to himself. Simultaneously, he received settlement information from the Decadent Witch. [The S-ranked plot character "Decadent Witch Ivyst's" plot deviation has increased to 0.20%.] [Due to this character's uniqueness in the current timeline, reward points will be calculated tenfold.] Seems his guess was correct. Every 1% increase on Ivyst's side would induce a 0.1% change on this end. Still too minimal. With these thoughts, Lin En looked towards the distance, noticing the Decadent Witch with her white hair and red eyes, clad in a somewhat tattered black gown, sitting by the temple's edge. Perhaps it was an illusion. He felt the chains of order binding her were fewer. Sensing his familiar human essence, the Decadent Witch raised her gaze. "You have nerve." Her tone was ice-cold, clearly displeased by Lin En's earlier written request. After all, the present Ivyst differed in temperament and memory from her past self, almost as if they were two different entities. Transcending tens of thousands of years, away went the past's madness and frenzy. For the current Decadent Witch, mimicking former Ivyst's actions, like removing stockings before subordinates, was inconceivable. She, as a deity, couldn't tolerate him praying with her personal garments. "Apologies, I simply wished to see you, hence the desperate measure," Lin En sighed. The Decadent Witch coldly watched him for a moment before closing her eyes. "Though, in terms of results, you did quite well on your second trial," she said softly. As she spoke, she revealed her slender, fair arm from beneath a tattered sleeve. Once marked by a dimension-splintering fissure, now largely healed, but a dark scar-like crack still wound around her wrist. Not fully healed? Was his induced fate inertia insufficient? Lin En frowned deeply. "No need for self-blame," the Decadent Witch remarked, noticing his distress. "To my knowledge, you've achieved the utmost what can be done right now." After all, Lin En extinguished all faith in Ornn City and burned the Church of Providence to ashes. No further faith sources remained to weaken; he'd reached the limit. "So, I'll reward you." With those words, three red-glowing divine grant factors emerged in her palm. Just as she was about to embed them into Lin En, her brow furrowed unexpectedly. "You've ignited nine divine grant factors, reaching first-order limits?" Her voice held a hint of surprise. "Some personal secrets, may I ask you not to inquire further?" Lin En tentatively requested. From the start, he knew hiding this from the witch was impossible, so concealment was futile. Those sealing artifacts could never evade a deity's gaze. Fortunately, he knew her disposition serviceably; cold, indifferent, or weary of the world, she'd never act like Ivyst's past self, treading on him with force. Unsurprisingly. After a moment's silence, the Decadent Witch skipped over the topic without comment. Lin En expected her to reward him differently since what he lacked was high-quality equipment like sealing artifacts. To his surprise, the Decadent Witch waved, sending the divine grant factors into his body. In an instant, sweeping light engulfed him. Before he could gasp, a familiar surge and heat cascaded through him, instigating a transformation within. Instead of the divine grant factors overloading him, something mysterious guided three of them toward three original factors. In a dance of distortion and fluctuation, Lin En watched two factors merge into new ones. This too was possible? Despite knowing the source material, Lin En never recalled such phenomena. The newly birthed divine grant factors were larger than the remaining six by a significant margin. Even the red glow they emitted shone more brilliantly, as if bolstered. Lin En cast a bewildered glance at the Decadent Witch. Seeing this, she responded with muted indifference: "As you witness, the divine grant factors I bestowed upon you can continually merge to become more powerful." "Of course, for now, enhancing three divine grant factors is your limit. If you wish to continue strengthening them, it would be best to toughen your body further," the Decadent Witch advised. Upon hearing this, Lin En couldn't help but take a sharp breath. He had believed that the protagonist in the original work had already reached an extraordinary feat by being able to increase divine grant factors infinitely. Yet, the extent to which this Decadent Witch was involved seemed equally astonishing. To give an example: if Lin En, who worships "the End," had the same abilities and the same number of divine grant factors as an ordinary person, his ability's effectiveness would be three to four times greater. And if his divine grant factors could continue to multiply exponentially from that baseline, the potential growth would be immense. Could it be that I am the destined protagonist? A contemplative expression crossed Lin En’s face as he stroked his chin. This revelation meant he needed to adjust his future plans. Upon advancing to the next rank, he could first max out his divine grant factors through the system, then rely on new divine grant factors acquired from completing the witch's trials to strengthen the existing ones. Of course, as the witch lady mentioned, he now required a sturdier physique to withstand such enhancement. It would be advantageous if he could draw a similar extraordinary ability. Lin En mused silently. He still had accumulated points left, enough to draw another ability. Previously, he had hesitated due to his poor luck, intending to try again after securing a luck-enhancing sealed item. Looks like I might need to enlist the help of the all-knowing RaniAmon tomorrow, on the side. With these thoughts, Lin En’s vision for his future became even clearer. He couldn't help but ask, "Witch Lady, do you have any new trials for me?" The previous trial, requiring the hunting down of one hundred extraordinary members of the Church of Providence, was still incomplete. It was a daunting task, not easily finished in a brief span. Thus, he devised new plans. The more trials he completed, the more divine grant factors he could strengthen. This progress would bring him closer to his goal of gaining freedom from that woman’s side. Lin En assumed the Decadent Witch would instruct him to continue eroding the Church of Providence's faith, or perhaps target another church. Unexpectedly, upon hearing his query, a peculiar look flickered in her eyes. "What’s the exact date in your current era?" After a brief silence, she inquired suddenly. "I'm not quite sure," Lin En contemplated, "but considering the timeline, it should be the eve of your journey back to the Imperial Capital." "..." Hearing this response, a faint frown appeared on the Decadent Witch's face. Is it already that time? A trace of disappointment flitted through her eyes, yet she maintained a calm facade as she softly asked, "How is Afia and the others doing these days?" "They're doing well, though they recently seemed downcast after failing a mission," Lin En answered honestly, uncertain why she was suddenly inquiring about her subordinates. "I see..." The Decadent Witch murmured, followed by a prolonged silence. Minutes later, she slowly rose, her delicate, porcelain-like feet bare as she lifted her gown with both hands, dragging her chains of order as she proceeded up the steps, one step at a time. She ascended to the highest point, her back turned to him as she gazed silently at the colossal statues hovering above the Pantheon. Time seemed to stretch indefinitely, and when she finally spoke, Lin En held his breath, keenly focused. "There is indeed something I need you to do," she finally disclosed. "What is it?" Lin En asked with bated breath. She did not turn around, maintaining her position overlooking everything from above. For some reason, Lin En suddenly perceived a poignant elegance in her silhouette. Then, the witch's voice, barely audible, drifted to his ears. "I demand you use every means to please me." --- *Sorry, only 8,000 words today. Considered this a transitional chapter, so I took some time to think about the upcoming developments.* *Also, the climax of the Ornn City arc is approaching with force!* *Remember to vote!* *Note: Automatic page loading is unavailable in reading mode. Please exit reading mode to proceed to the next page.*